Safety-catch for mining-cages.



APPLICATION nugb mm: 1;. 191's.

Patented A r; 11, 1916.

WITNESSES:

A TTOR/VEVS THB COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNrEn srarrzs 7 JOHN T. PERO ANn LLEWELLYN rJJoNEs, or PARSONS, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY-CATCH FOB MINING-GAGES.

To all whom it may concern: I v

Be it known that we, JOHN T. Pnno and LLEWELLYN P. JONES, citizens of'the United States, residing at Parsons, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Catches for Mining-Cages, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in safety catches -for mining cages and the like and has for the several views, A designates the vertical.

its primary object, the provision of a form of safety catch which may be readily appliedto the types of mining cages now ingeneral use without the necessity of materially al-' tering the construction of the same. t Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a safety catch of-this character in which will be included guide en-" gaging members and also improved and novel mounting and operatingmeans for the guide engaging members.

With these and other objects in. view,-the

invention consists in the novel construction, Q combination and arrangementof parts, as I will be hereinafter more in detail described and'theasserted novelty pointed out .in'the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which clearly and fully illustrate our invention, Figure l is an elevation of the complete device applied to a mine cage of conventional form, and showing the operative parts of the invention in normal position,partsof the cage and the guides for the same being broken away, in this view. Fig.2 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1, with the operative parts" of the invention in normal .position.. Fig. 3is an enlarged detailelevation of one of the guide engaging members lookingat the inner face of the same. Fig; 4 is an enlarged elevation of the supporting screw for one of the guide engaging members, removed. Fig. 5 is an end elevationof the same. Fig. 6 is anenlarged detail elevation of one of the pawls removed. Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the same, on the line 77 of Fig. 6, and, Fig-.8 is an enlarged pawl supporting elevation of one of the screws, removed.

Referring more particularly to the draw-, ings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Apr. 1i, 1916.

Application filed June 11, 1915. Serial No. 33,531.

' thereof are the reinforcing plates E and E.

The depending pinsF are carried .by the plate E and-cooperate with the pins F projecting upwardly from the movable plate E, tosupport the operating and normally compressed springs G, engaged around said pins F andF. The movable 'plateflE is carried in a suitable manner upon the lower end ofthe-cen'tral cable-shaft H, slid'ably engaged through the top: of the cage and throughithe reinforcing plates E and E, and

is spaced from the .plate E by the pins F and Band also by the spacing blocksupon:

the cable shaftH.

Rigid with and projecting outwardly from" the oppositeends of the movable plate E,

arethepal'rsof outwardly and upwardly directed arms 2', z" to theupper free ends of which are pivoted the inner .ends of the j rock arms'I, ,mounted for rocking movement uponsthe stationary shaftsl, secured in the slots I), previously mentioned. T he outer ends of'the rockarmsI are bent downwardly and outwardly and carry the'studs I, "which are engaged through "the elongated vertical slots 7"; in the flattened upper ends of 'thedepending rods J, on" opposite sides of the guides A, as'clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The studs also have mountedthereon, thepawl releasmg rods Ix.

The lower forked ends L of'the depend- 1ng rods J are pivoted to the upper corners of the triang'ularz guide gripping'members 1 L, which have gripping teeth L, on their inner faces, arranged in off-set rows as clearly shown in Fig. 3, while the ratchet teeth. L arelocated upon the outerfaces of said triangular guide gripping members L *The lower ends of the pawl releasing rods K are bent outwardly at an angle. and ex-' tended through the angular guide plates M, carried by the crossarms C, and are'then engaged in the recesses N in the upper edges of the pawls N to retain the latter in their outermost or inoperative positions, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The trian ular 'uide ri ain members 2) D 23 t:

L are provided with inclined elongated slots 0, through which are engaged the smooth body portions of the supporting screws P, secured in the side arms C, in any suitable manner, the smooth body portions of said supporting screws P being flattened upon opposite sides, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, l and 5, to prevent turning of either the screws P or the gripping members L. It will also be evident that as the slots 0 and the heads of the screws P are beveled, the gripping members L will be prevented from working the screws P, during the operation of the parts.

The pawls N are mounted upon the pawl supporting pins Q, securing in the side arms C, outwardly of the supporting pins P, turning of said pins Q, in the side arms C being prevented, by means of longitudinal *ribs Q, formed preferably on the small threaded ends of, said pins Q, while turning or swinging movement of the pawls N, in

either direction, upon the pins Q, is limited by means of the short longitudinal ribs Q, projecting inwardly from the heads of said pins Q and engaged in the recesses N of the pawls N.

Underncrmal conditions all of the parts of the device are in "the positions shown in the drawings. Should the cable break however, or should the strain upon the cable shaft ll be relieved, owing to an accident or any other cause, the springs G will expand forcing downwardly the inner ends of the rack armsl and causing the latter to swing upon the rock shafts I, to raise the outer ends of said rock arms I and draw upwardly the depending rods J. lhis causes an upward and inward movement of the gripping members L", until the gripping teeth L thereof bite into the opposite sides of the guides A and thereby prevent movement of the cage 13. During this operation, the rods K are also drawn upwardly and away from the pawls N, permitting the latter to swing over into engagement with the ratchet teeth L, to look the gripping members L in their operative positions to prevent them from moving away" from the guides A. It therefore will be evident that the cage 13' will be securely locked againstmovement, until the cable is replaced and the cable shaft H drawn uplGopies at this patent may be obtained for wardly to again compress the springs G and return the operative parts of the device to their normal positions.

WVhen tension is again put on the cable It the rods K are pushed downwardly and release the pawls N, thus permitting the gripping members L, to be forced out of gripping relation with the guides when the pins I reach the ends of the slots in the members J.

Vhile the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

What is claimed is i 1. The combination with a mine cage and guides for the same, of cross arms carried by said cagc,.guide gripping members slidably mounted upon said cross arms, a cable shaft for said mine cage, connections between said cable shaft and said guide grip ping members for forcing the latter into engagement with'said guides upon movement of said cable shaft in one directlon through said mine cage to lock said mine cage against movement, means for locking said guidegripping members against said guides, and means forreleasing said guide gripping members upon movement of said cable shaft in the reverse direction through saidmine cage. I

2. The combination with a mine cage, guides, a cable shaft adapted for limited sliding movement through said mine cage, and cross arms carried by said'mine cage; of guide pins carried by said cross arms, gripping members slidably mounted upon said guide pins, pawl members pivoted upon said cross arms, means connected with said cable shaft to force said gripping members into engagement with said guides upon sliding movement of said cable shaft in one direction, said pawl members being adapted for automatic engagement with said gripping members t lock the latter against said guides and means for swinging said pawl members away from said gripping members to release the latter, upon movement of said cable shaft in the reverse direction.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

JOHN T. PERO. LLEWELLYN BJUNES.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- WashingtonyD. 0. i 

